South Korea moves ahead with “K-REACH” proposals

Chemical Watch: Draft Act expected to affect 3,000 companies and at least 2,000 substances

Industry seeks 11 new RoHS exemptions

Consultation on a series of new exemptions from the RoHS directive's restrictions on toxic substances in electrical and electronic equipment opened on Tuesday.
The 11 requests largely concern the use of hexavalent chromium, mercury, cadmium and lead in medical equipment and lighting products.
Medical equipment association COCIR has made four requests covering different scanning devices. These are the latest in a series of requests from the organisation.
Lighting industry bodies CELMA, ELCF and Italian federation ANIE have requested five exemptions. The other requests are for the extension of exemptions for radiation detector components to new uses and the use of lead in a type of medical lamp.
Responses to the consultation, run by Öko-Institut, should be made by 4 September.

Follow Up:

Consultation and guidance document

RoHS Exemptions - Review of Annex to RoHS Directive: Consultation:

'via Blog this'

The IPC WorksAsia 2012 Technical Seminar

Call for Papers: Share your professional knowledge to colleagues in the industry! The electronics industry focused its attention on research and innovation to your company! The most effective way to show your company in front of the industry!

The IPC WorksAsia held by the IPC-International Association Connecting Electronics Industries in southern China, influential large technical activities. Covering all aspects of the electronics industry chain, the audience coverage of China (including Hong Kong, Taiwan), electronics companies, technology, management and executives.

Involving design, materials, assembly, process, equipment and other areas of the following:
 

Advanced technology Surface array / flip technology / 0201 Assembly process BGA package Black pad Business & supply chain issues To cottage Electronic products Design Electromigration Electronics Manufacturing Services Embedded active / passive components Environmental compliance problems 6 Sigma Flexible Circuit HDI technology High-speed, high-frequency signal fidelity

Lead-free manufacturing, assembly and reliability Micro and small craft Nanotechnology Photovoltaic technology Packaging and components PCB manufacturing PCB storage and processing Performance, quality & reliability PV Printed electronics RFID circuit Welding Surface treatment Testing, testing & AOI Tin whisker Sealing and protection methods

6th International Symposium on Tin Whiskers - Call for Partcipation

Whisker Growth on Tin Plated Lead
The Center of Advanced Life Cycle Engineering at the University of Maryland and Department of Materials Research at Loughbourugh University are pleased to announce the Sixth International Symposium on Tin Whiskers. Tin whiskers present a unique challenge to the electronics industry. There have been numbers of electronics failures in the market caused by tin whiskers since 1940s. After 2000, as a result of the global transition to lead-free electronics, the majority of the electronic component manufacturers are now using pure tin or tin-rich alloys for terminal and lead finishes. The increased used of tin based lead-free finishes and materials, focused concern and research on tin whiskers particular for long life and mission critical applications, such as space, aviation, and implantable medical devices.
 
Whisker Induced Metal Vapor Arc

A tin whisker is a conductive tin crystal, which can spontaneously grow from tin based lead-free finished surfaces even at room temperature, often in a needle-like form. Oxidation in humid atmosphere, corrosion, intermetallic formation, stress under thermal cycling, external pressure in fine pitch connectors and electromigration have been shown to promote whisker formation. However, acceleration models for whisker growth are very limited or not existent.

Listing of proceeding of prior International Symposia on Tin Whiskers can be found at http://www.calce.umd.edu/tin-whiskers/symposia.htm

This symposium presentations can cover case histories, theories of tin whisker growth experiments and results, risk evaluation methods and risk mitigation strategies. Presentations submitted for this year’s symposium may cover case histories, theories of tin whisker growth, experiments and results, risk evaluation methods and risk mitigation strategies. Free admission will be provided to symposium participants.


Novermber 27-28, 2012
Ford College, Loughborough University Leicestershire, UK LE11 3TU

Organized by

Department of Materials Research at Loughbourugh University

Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering ( CALCE )

Contact

Dr. Michael Osterman, CALCE, University of Maryland, osterman@calce.umd.edu

Dr Geoffrey D. Wilcox, Department of Materials Research, G.D.Wilcox@lboro.ac.uk


http://www.calce.umd.edu/cgi-bin/entityTools/webmultidbhtmlfrm.cgi?events+standard.irp+7

Current problems and possible solutions in high-temperature lead-free soldering

Lead use in solders for high-temperature applications (>85% lead, T _M≈250-350 °C) is still exempt in RoHS2, but the search for substitutes has been ongoing for a decade without finding a viable solution.  This article attempts to map the current situation with a short review of current legislation, requirements for a substitute alloy and describing some possible existing solutions.


http://www.scopus.com/record/display.url?eid=2-s2.0-84862182829&origin=inward&txGid=jCyxNaWvGqBFwEEMqY-XDsH%3a6


Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance
Volume 21, Issue 5, May 2012, Pages 629-637
Current problems and possible solutions in high-temperature lead-free soldering  ( Review )
Kroupa, A.a , Andersson, D.b, Hoo, N.c, Pearce, J.c, Watson, A.d, Dinsdale, A.e, Mucklejohn, S.f
a  Institute of Physics of Materials, AS CR, Zizkova 22, 61662 Brno, Czech Republic
b  Swerea IVF, Mölndal, Sweden
c  ITRI Ltd., Curo Park, St. Albans, United Kingdom
d  SPEME, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
e  National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, United Kingdom
f  Ceravision Limited, The Mansion, Bletchley Park, MK3 6EB, United Kingdom

Rate-dependent behavior of Sn alloy-Cu couples: Effects of microstructure and composition on mechanical shock resistance

Scopus: Solders serve as electrical and mechanical interconnects in electronic packaging. The mechanical shock behavior of a Pb-free solder joint is quite complex, since the influences of solder microstructure, intermetallic compound (IMC) layer thickness, and strain rate on the overall dynamic solder joint strength need to be quantified. Dynamic solder joint strength is hypothesized to be controlled by two factors. At low strain rates it should be controlled by the bulk solder, whereas at high strain rates it may be controlled by the brittle intermetallic compound layer. In this paper, the dynamic solder joint strength of Sn-3.9 Ag-0.7 Cu solder joints was experimentally measured over the strain rate range 10 -3-12 s -1. The influences of changes in solder microstructure and IMC layer on dynamic solder joint strength were quantified, and visualized in three dimensions. Fracture mechanisms operating in the solder-controlled and IMC layer-controlled dynamic strength regimes are discussed. Finally, qualitative numerical simulations were conducted, which accurately depict the experimentally observed fracture behaviors

 Yazzie, K.E.a, Fei, H.E.b, Jiang, H.b, Chawla, N.ab 

a  Materials Science and Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-6106, United States
b  Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-6106, United States

Microstructure, mechanical, and thermal properties of the Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu solder alloy bearing Fe for electronics applications

Microstructure, mechanical, and thermal properties of the Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu solder alloy bearing Fe for electronics applications: Author(s): Shnawah, D.A.-A. , Said, S.B.M. , Sabri, M.F.M. , Badruddin, I.A. , Che, F.X.
Publication year: 2012
Journal / Book title: Materials Science and Engineering A

This work investigates the effect of Fe addition on the microstructural, mechanical, and thermal properties of the Sn–1Ag–0.5Cu (SAC105) solder alloy. The addition of Fe leads to the formation of large circular FeSn2 intermetallic compound (IMC) particles, which produce a weak interface with the β-Sn matrix. The addition of Fe also leads to the inclusion of Fe in the Ag3Sn and Cu6Sn5 IMC particles. Moreover, Fe-bearing solders have been shown to form large primary β-Sn grains. The weak interface between the large FeSn2 IMC particles and the β-Sn matrix together with the presence of the large primary β-Sn grains results in a significant reduction on the elastic modulus and yield strength of the Fe-bearing solders. Moreover, the improved plasticity of the large primary β-Sn grains causes the Fe-bearing solders to exhibit large total elongation. The addition of Fe also significantly reduces the effect of aging. After aging at 100 °C and 180 °C, it has been observed that the Fe-bearing solders significantly suppress the coarsening of the Ag3Sn IMC particles; consequently, they exhibit stable mechanical properties. This effect can be attributed to the inclusion of Fe in the Ag3Sn IMC particles. In addition, fracture surface analysis indicates that the addition of Fe to the SAC105 solder alloy does not affect the mode of fracture, and all tested solders exhibited large ductile-dimples on the fracture surface. Moreover, the addition of Fe did not produce any significant effect on the melting behavior. As a result, the use conditions of the Fe-bearing solders are consistent with the conditions for conventional Sn–Ag–Cu solder alloys.



Materials Science and Engineering: A

Volume 551, 15 August 2012, Pages 160–168
Cover image
Microstructure, mechanical, and thermal properties of the Sn–1Ag–0.5Cu solder alloy bearing Fe for electronics applications

    Dhafer Abdul-Ameer Shnawaha, Corresponding author contact information, E-mail the corresponding author,
    Suhana Binti Mohd Saidb,
    Mohd Faizul Mohd Sabria,
    Irfan Anjum Badruddina,
    Fa Xing Chec

    a Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    b Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    c Institute of Microelectronics, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 11 Science Park Road, Singapore Science Park II, Singapore 117685, Singapore

Leaching studies for tin recovery from waste e-scrap

Scopus: Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the most essential components of all electrical and electronic equipments, which contain noteworthy quantity of metals, some of which are toxic to life and all of which are valuable resources.

Therefore, recycling of PCBs is necessary for the safe disposal/utilization of these metals. Present paper is a part of developing Indo-Korean recycling technique consists of organic swelling pre-treatment technique for the liberation of thin layer of metallic sheet and the treatment of epoxy resin to remove/recover toxic soldering material. To optimize the parameters required for recovery of tin from waste PCBs, initially the bench scale studies were carried out using fresh solder (containing 52.6% Sn and 47.3% Pb) varying the acid concentration, temperature, mixing time and pulp density. The experimental data indicate that 95.79% of tin was leached out from solder material using 5.5 M HCl at fixed pulp density 50 g/L and temperature 90 °C in mixing time 165 min. Kinetic studies followed the chemical reaction controlled dense constant size cylindrical particles with activation energy of 117.68 kJ/mol. However, 97.79% of tin was found to be leached out from solder materials of liberated swelled epoxy resin using 4.5 M HCl at 90 °C, mixing time 60 min and pulp density 50 g/L. From the leach liquor of solder materials of epoxy resin, the precipitate of sodium stannate as value added product was obtained at pH 1.9. The Pb from the leach residue was removed by using 0.1 M nitric acid at 90 °C in mixing time 45 min and pulp density 10 g/L. The metal free epoxy resin could be disposed-of safely/used as filling material without affecting the environment.


Waste Management
2012
Leaching studies for tin recovery from waste e-scrap  ( Articles not published yet, but available online Article in press About articles in press (opens in a new window) )

Jha, M.K.a , Choubey, P.K.a, Jha, A.K.a, Kumari, A.a, Lee, J.-c.b , Kumar, V.a, Jeong, J.b 

a  Metal Extraction and Forming Division, National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), Jamshedpur 831 007, India
b  Mineral Resources Research Division, Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources, Daejeon 305-350, Republic of Korea

An approach to life consumption monitoring of solder joints in operating temperature environment

Scopus This paper elaborates the 3T-approach to life consumption monitoring of solder joints in operating temperature environment without requiring simplification of operating loads.

(Dont really know what this is - sounded interesting... - Jeremy)


2012 13th International Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2012
2012, Article number 6191699
2012 13th International Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2012;Cascais;16 April 2012through18 April 2012;Code89825
An approach to life consumption monitoring of solder joints in operating temperature environment  ( Conference Paper )

Johansson, J.ab, Belov, I.a , Johnson, E.c, Leisner, P.ac 

a  Dept. Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Jönköping University, Box 1026, SE-551 11 Jönköping, Sweden
b  Saab AB, Business Area Electronic Defence Systems, Box 1017, SE-551 11 Jönköping, Sweden
c  SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Box 857, SE-501 15 Borås, Sweden

A comparison of the creep behaviour of joint-scale SAC105 and SAC305 solder samples under shear conditions

Scopus: This study compares the creep behavior of joint-scale Sn1.0Ag0.5Cu (SAC105) and Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu (SAC305) solder samples under shear loading. The basis of the comparison is experimentally derived Anand viscoplastic constitutive models for the alloys. A series of monotonic constant shear stress and constant shear strain rate tests was conducted at temperatures of 20'C, 50'C, 75'C and 100'C for SAC105 in order to provide data to extract the constitutive model parameters. The predictions of the Anand model are compared graphically with the experimental data for SAC105 in order to illustrate goodness-of-fit. The Anand parameters are shown to capture the creep performance of the SAC105 solder under shear loading very well, with the experimental data being tightly bound to the Anand predictions. For comparison, model parameters for SAC305 are taken from previously published work at the authors' institution. In terms of practical usage, SAC105 is noted to be preferable for applications which may experience high strain rate stimuli (portable electronic devices) as the alloy undergoes plastic flow at lower stress levels than SAC305, minimizing the risk of interfacial failures. Conversely, SAC305 is superior for applications which feature thermo-mechanical fatigue (desktop computers, for example, or servers) as it accumulates less strain than SAC105


2012 13th International Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2012
2012, Article number 6191722
2012 13th International Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2012;Cascais;16 April 2012through18 April 2012;Code89825
A comparison of the creep behaviour of joint-scale SAC105 and SAC305 solder samples under shear conditions  ( Conference Paper )

Burke, C. , Punch, J. 

CTVR, Stokes Institute, University of Limerick, Ireland

The bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu-xAl lead-free solder alloys (x = 0, 1, 1.5 and 2 wt.%)

Scopus : The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of Al addition on the bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of the low Ag-content Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu (SAC105) solder alloy.

Design/methodology/approach - The Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu-ITx/ITAl (ITx/IT=0, 1, 1.5 and 2?wt.%) bulk solder specimens with flat dog-bone shape were used for tensile testing in this work. The specimens were prepared by melting purity ingots of Sn, Ag, Cu and Al in an induction furnace. Subsequently, the molten alloys were poured into pre-heated stainless steel molds, and the molds were naturally air-cooled to room temperature. Finally, the molds were disassembled, and the dog-bone samples were removed. The solder specimens were subjected to tensile testing on an INSTRON tester with loading rate 10UP-3/UP?sUP-1/UP. The microstructural analysis was carried out using scanning electron microscopy/Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) analysis was used to identify the IMC phases. To obtain the microstructure, the solder samples were prepared by dicing, molding, grinding and polishing processes. Findings - The addition of Al to the SAC105 solder alloy suppresses the formation of AgDN3/DNSn and CuDN6/DNSnDN5/DN IMC particles and leads to the formation of larger Al-rich and Al-Cu IMC particles and a large amount of fine Al-Ag IMC particles. The addition of Al also leads to refining of the primary -Sn grains. The addition of Al results in a significant increase on the elastic modulus and yield strength. On the other hand, the addition of Al drastically deteriorates the total elongation. Originality/value - The addition of Al to the low Ag-content SAC105 solder alloy has been discussed for the first time. This work provides a starting-point to study the effect of Al addition on the drop impact and thermal cycling reliability of the SAC105 alloy.


Microelectronics International
Volume 29, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 108-116
The bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu-xAl lead-free solder alloys (x = 0, 1, 1.5 and 2 wt.%)

Shnawah, D.A.-A.a , Sabri, M.F.M.a, Badruddin, I.A.a, Che, F.X.b 

a  Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
b  Institute of Microelectronics, A STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore, Singapore

Characterisation of lead-free solders at high strain rates considering microstructural conditions

Scopus: This work focuses on the mechanical behaviour of lead free solder alloys under high strain rate conditions. The knowledge about this specific material behaviour and the ability of consideration in finite element modelling are especially important for reliability investigations on mobile communication and entertainment devices. Since the mechanical behaviour of solders is strongly dependent on their micro- and grain structure two solder alloys SnAg1.3Cu0.5 (SAC) and SnAg3.5 (SA) have been considered in this work. After solder joint reflow changes of the micro- and grain structure occur due to thermal loading of the joints. Therefore isothermal ageing has been conducted to enable the comparison of as cast and aged solder condition. The strain rate dependent mechanical behaviour of the named alloys has been investigated by the usage of tensile experiments on miniature dog bone specimens. The effective specimen part with a diameter of 1 mm allowed to stay close to the dimensions of real solder joints and hence to their micro- and grain structure. Experiments have been accomplished at room temperature. The isothermal ageing at 150°C lasted for 1000 h to reach considerable structural changes. The applied strain rates covered a range of 25 s -1 to 870 s -1. The strain rate depending material behaviour of both solders was incorporated in a finite element model and used to analyse the solder joint stress during a standard drop test experiment.


2012 13th International Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2012
2012, Article number 6191786
2012 13th International Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2012;Cascais;16 April 2012through18 April 2012;Code89825
Characterisation of lead-free solders at high strain rates considering microstructural conditions  ( Conference Paper )

Meier, K.a , Kraemer, F.b, Roellig, M.c, Wolter, K.-J.a 

a  Technische Universität Dresden, Electronics Packaging Laboratory, D-01062 Dresden, Germany
b  Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
c  Fraunhofer IZFP-D, Dresden, Germany

Characterisation of lead-free solders at high strain rates considering microstructural conditions

Scopus: This work focuses on the mechanical behaviour of lead free solder alloys under high strain rate conditions. The knowledge about this specific material behaviour and the ability of consideration in finite element modelling are especially important for reliability investigations on mobile communication and entertainment devices. Since the mechanical behaviour of solders is strongly dependent on their micro- and grain structure two solder alloys SnAg1.3Cu0.5 (SAC) and SnAg3.5 (SA) have been considered in this work. After solder joint reflow changes of the micro- and grain structure occur due to thermal loading of the joints. Therefore isothermal ageing has been conducted to enable the comparison of as cast and aged solder condition. The strain rate dependent mechanical behaviour of the named alloys has been investigated by the usage of tensile experiments on miniature dog bone specimens. The effective specimen part with a diameter of 1 mm allowed to stay close to the dimensions of real solder joints and hence to their micro- and grain structure. Experiments have been accomplished at room temperature. The isothermal ageing at 150°C lasted for 1000 h to reach considerable structural changes. The applied strain rates covered a range of 25 s -1 to 870 s -1. The strain rate depending material behaviour of both solders was incorporated in a finite element model and used to analyse the solder joint stress during a standard drop test experiment.


2012 13th International Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2012
2012, Article number 6191786
2012 13th International Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, EuroSimE 2012;Cascais;16 April 2012through18 April 2012;Code89825
Characterisation of lead-free solders at high strain rates considering microstructural conditions  ( Conference Paper )

Meier, K.a , Kraemer, F.b, Roellig, M.c, Wolter, K.-J.a 

a  Technische Universität Dresden, Electronics Packaging Laboratory, D-01062 Dresden, Germany
b  Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
c  Fraunhofer IZFP-D, Dresden, Germany

Acceleration of the growth of Cu 3Sn voids in solder joints

Scopus: Soldering to Cu surface finishes usually leads to the formation of a bi-layer intermetallic structure, Cu 3Sn/Cu 6Sn 5, that provides a more robust bond than common alternatives. Occasionally, and so far unpredictably, voids may however grow within the Cu 3Sn over time and allow for premature failure of microelectronics products in service. A quantitative assessment of the reliability risk of voids observed after accelerated aging requires the knowledge of the variation of void growth with temperature and time. It is argued that in the case of realistic solder joints diffusion controlled void growth kinetics are unlikely to follow simple Arrhenius and parabolic dependencies, respectively. Nevertheless, three very different sets of samples were all shown to exhibit void growth that could be well approximated by a parabolic time dependence and an effective activation energy of 0.65-0.80 eV.



Microelectronics Reliability
Volume 52, Issue 6, June 2012, Pages 1121-1127
Acceleration of the growth of Cu 3Sn voids in solder joints

Borgesen, P.a, Yin, L.b , Kondos, P.b 

a  Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, United States
b  Universal Instruments Corporation, Conklin, NY 13748, United States

Effect of Ni on growing of intermetallic compound in interface of Sn2·5Ag0·7Cu0·1RE/Cu solder joint during aging

Scopus Aging treatment was implemented for the Sn25Ag07Cu0 1RExNi/Cu solder joint under varioustemperatures simulating the service environment. The growing behaviour of the intermetalliccompound at the soldering interface during aging was investigated. In the case of adding 01%Niaged solder joint, the maximum growth activation energies of (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 and Cu3Sn are 86.8 and 93.7 kJ mol21 respectively. The results reveal that the growth of intermetallic compound in thesoldering interface can be suppressed, and the solder joint can be strengthened by addingproper quantities of Ni in the solder.


Materials Science and Technology (United Kingdom)
Volume 28, Issue 6, 2012, Pages 760-765
Effect of Ni on growing of intermetallic compound in interface of Sn2·5Ag0·7Cu0·1RE/Cu solder joint during aging

Zhang, K.K.ab , Li, C.Y.a, Qiu, R.F.ab, Shi, H.X.ab, Wang, Y.L.ab 

a  School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China
b  Henan Key Laboratory of Science and Processing Technology of Nonferrous Metals, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China

Drop impact reliability of Sn-1.0Ag-0.5Cu BGA interconnects with different mounting methods

Scopus: The poor drop-shock resistance of near-eutectic Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder interconnects drives the research and application low-Ag SAC solder alloys, especially for Sn-1.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC105). In this work, by dynamic four-point bend testing, we investigate the drop impact reliability of SAC105 alloy ball grid array (BGA) interconnects with two different surface mounting methods: near-eutectic solder paste printing and flux dipping. The results indicate that the flux dipping method improves the interconnects failure strain by 44.7% over paste printing. Further mechanism studies show the fine interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the printed circuit board side and a reduced Ag content inside solder bulk are the main beneficial factors overcoming other negative factors. The flux dipping SAC105 BGA solder joints possess fine Cu 6Sn 5 IMCs at the interface of solder/Cu pads, which increases the bonding strength between the solder/IMCs and the fracture resistance of the IMC grains themselves. Short soldering time of flux dipping joints above the solder alloy liquidus mitigates the growth of interfacial IMCs in size. In addition, a reduced Ag content in flux dipping joint bulk causes a low hardness and high compliance, thus increasing fracture resistance under higher-strain rate conditions.


Microelectronics Reliability
Volume 52, Issue 7, July 2012, Pages 1475-1482
Drop impact reliability of Sn-1.0Ag-0.5Cu BGA interconnects with different mounting methods

Wang, B.ab, Li, J.a, Gallagher, A.c, Wrezel, J.c, Towashirporn, P.c, Zhao, N.a  

a  School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
b  Motorola Mobility Technologies Co. Ltd., Tianjin 300457, China
c  Motorola Inc., Libertyville, IL 60048, United States

Lifetime prediction of non-collapsible solder joints in LTCC/PWB assemblies using a recalibrated engelmaier's model

Scopus: The thermal fatigue endurances of lead-free (φ 500 and 1100 μm) plastic core solder ball (PCSB) ball grid array interconnections were investigated. The test assemblies were exposed to thermal cycling testing in temperature ranges of 0-100 �C and -40 to 125 �C. In addition, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the interconnections. The characteristic lifetime data from this and earlier studies were contrasted with a recalibrated Engelmaier's model. After adjusting the model, feasibility was determined through test results of a partial array representing a real-use case. On the basis of this paper it was found that the recalibrated Engelmaier's model is, after adjustment, a suitable model for predicting the lifetime of PCSB assemblies

IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology
Volume 2, Issue 6, 2012, Article number 6133330, Pages 994-1001
Lifetime prediction of non-collapsible solder joints in LTCC/PWB assemblies using a recalibrated engelmaier's model

Putaala, J.a , Salmela, O.b , Nousiainen, O.c , Kangasvieri, T.b , Uusimäki, A.a  

a  Microelectronics and Materials Physics Laboratories, University of Oulu, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
b  Nokia Siemens Networks, Espoo FI-02022, Finland
c  Materials Engineering Laboratory, University of Oulu, Oulu FIN-90014, Finland

Development of thermodynamic and kinetic databases in micro-soldering alloy systems and their applications

Scopus: Recent progress in the development of thermodynamic and kinetic databases of micro-soldering alloys, which were constructed within the framework of the Thermo-Calc and DICTRA software, was presented.

Especially, a thermodynamic tool, ADAMIS (alloy database for micro-solders) was developed by combining the thermodynamic databases of micro-solders with Pandat, a multi-component phase diagram calculation software program. ADAMIS contains 11 elements, namely, Ag, Al, Au, Bi, Cu, In, Ni, Sb, Sn, Zn and Pb, and can handle all combinations of these elements in the whole composition range. The obtained thermodynamic and kinetic databases can not only provide much valuable thermodynamic information such as phase equilibria and phase fraction, but also shows the kinetics and the evolution of microstructures when they are combined with some appropriate software programs and models, such as the phase field method and ADSTEFAN software. From the viewpoints of computational thermodynamics and kinetics, some technical examples were given to demonstrate the great utility of these databases for the applications in the development of micro-soldering materials. These databases are expected to be powerful tools for the development of micro-solders and Cu substrate materials, as well as for promoting the understanding of interfacial phenomena and microstructure evolution between solders and substrates in electronic packaging technology.


Progress in Natural Science: Materials International
Volume 21, Issue 2, April 2011, Pages 97-110
Development of thermodynamic and kinetic databases in micro-soldering alloy systems and their applications

Liu, X.-J.a , Wang, C.-P.a, Ohnuma, I.b, Kainuma, R.b, Ishida, K.b 

a  Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Materials, Research Center of Materials Design and Applications, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
b  Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan

Gap Size Effects on the Shear Strength of Sn/Cu and Sn/FeNi Solder Joints

Scopus: The effect of the gap size on the shear strength of a solder joint was investigated in both Sn/Cu and Sn/FeNi lap solder joints by varying the gap size from 20 μm to 300 μm. In the Sn/FeNi joints, the shear strength remained relatively constant, around 14 MPa, independent of the gap size. In contrast, the shear strength of the Sn/Cu joint decreased about 20% from 25 MPa to 20 MPa. The decrease was shown to result from Cu 6Sn 5 precipitation in the thicker Sn/Cu joint, which was absent in the thinner joints


Journal of Electronic Materials
2012, Pages 1-8
Gap Size Effects on the Shear Strength of Sn/Cu and Sn/FeNi Solder Joints  ( Articles not published yet, but available online Article in press About articles in press (opens in a new window) )

Chen, C., Zhang, L. , Zhao, J., Cao, L., Shang, J.K. 

Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of, Shenyang, 110016, China

Effect of Sn Grain Orientation on the Cu 6Sn 5 Formation in a Sn-Based Solder Under Current Stressing

Scopus: A SnAgCu-based solder stripe between two Cu electrodes is current stressed with a density of 5 10 4 A/cm 2 at 393 K (120 C). After current stressing for 24 hours, electromigration induces the Cu dissolution from the cathode-side Cu electrode, leading to the Cu 6Sn 5 formation in the solder stripe. Very interestingly, the Cu 6Sn 5 phase is selectively formed within a specific Sn grain. Electron backscattering diffraction analysis indicates the crystallographic orientations of Sn grains play an important role in the selective Cu 6Sn 5 formation


Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A: Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science
2012, Pages 1-3
Effect of Sn Grain Orientation on the Cu 6Sn 5 Formation in a Sn-Based Solder Under Current Stressing  ( Articles not published yet, but available online Article in press About articles in press (opens in a new window) )

Lin, C.-F., Lee, S.-H., Chen, C.-M.  

Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402, Taiwan

Microstructures and property of SnAgCu/SnAgCuCe solder joints

Scopus: For SnAgCu/SnAgCuCe solder joints, the microstructures, mechanical property and thermal fatigue property are investigated respectively. Results indicate that the mechanical properties of SnAgCu solder joints are enhanced with the addition of Ce, and the tensile forces of SnAgCuCe solder joints are 12.7% higher than that of SnAgCu solder joints. With the addition of rare earth Ce, the microstructure of SnAgCu can be refined, and the size of intermetallic compound (IMC) particles (Cu 6Sn 5 and Ag 3Sn) can be reduced, which are the reasons for the mechanical properties enhancement of SnAgCu solder joints. The SEM inspection and analysis show that fracture of the SnAgCu/SnAgCuCe solder joints presents obviously toughness fracture mechanism. In addition, during thermal cyclic loading, it is found that the addition of rare earth Ce can enhance the fatigue life of SnAgCu solder joints. Based on finite element simulation, it is found that SnAgCuCe solder joints shows higher creep resistance than that SnAgCu solder joints.


Jixie Gongcheng Xuebao/Journal of Mechanical Engineering
Volume 48, Issue 8, 20 April 2012, Pages 67-73
Microstructures and property of SnAgCu/SnAgCuCe solder joints

Zhang, L.ab , Han, J.a, Guo, Y.a, Lai, Z.b, Zhang, L.c 

a  School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
b  Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding Technology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, China
c  Lucas Milhaupt Brazing Materials(Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou 215122, China

Effects of Sn grain structure on the electromigration of Sn-Ag solder joints

Scopus: In this article, we investigated the effect of Sn grain structure on the electromigration (EM) reliability of Sn-2.5Ag (wt%) solder joints used in flip-chip packages. The electron backscattering diffraction technique was applied to characterize the Sn grain size and orientation of the solder joints. Failure analyses on Sn-2.5Ag solder joints after EM tests showed that the Sn grain structure was important in controlling the kinetics of the intermetallic compound growth and void formation under EM. Further microstructural analysis revealed that the grain sizes and orientations of the solder joints after multiple solder reflows were statistically different from those with a single solder reflow and resulted in an improved EM reliability. Thermal annealing effect was also investigated to separate the thermal effect from the EM-induced effect. Results obtained in this study demonstrated that EM reliability of Pb-free solder joints could be improved by optimization of the Sn grain structure.


Journal of Materials Research
Volume 27, Issue 8, 28 April 2012, Pages 1131-1141
Effects of Sn grain structure on the electromigration of Sn-Ag solder joints

Wang, Y.a, Lu, K.H.b, Gupta, V.c, Stiborek, L.c, Shirley, D.c, Chae, S.-H.c, Im, J.a, Ho, P.S.a  

a  Microelectronics Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78758, United States
b  Intel Corp., Chandler, AZ 85226, United States
c  Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas, TX 75243, United States

Reliability of gull-wing and leadless packages subjected to temperature cycling after rework

Scopus An experimental study was conducted to determine the effect of rework on the quality and reliability of surface mount solder interconnects. The test vehicle included thin small outline packages (TSOPs) and 2512 resistors assembled onto circuit cards with Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu and Sn63Pb37 solders. The rework process entailed the removal and replacement of the TSOPs and resistors. Reworked assemblies were then subjected to a temperature cycling test. Test results indicated that rework did not degrade the reliability of the TSOP solder attachments, but it decreased the thermal fatigue life of 2512 resistors down by 80% due to the decreased and uneven solder joint heights created by the hand-soldered rework process. Solder interconnect material changes caused by the rework process were not observed to be a significant factor in reliability


IEEE Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability
Volume 12, Issue 2, 2012, Article number 6174463, Pages 510-519
Reliability of gull-wing and leadless packages subjected to temperature cycling after rework

Chai, F. , Osterman, M. , Pecht, M.  

CALCE Electronic Products and Systems Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States

Critical concerns in soldering reactions arising from space confinement in 3-D IC packages

Scopus: Six critical issues relating to interfacial reactions arising from space confinement in 3-D integrated-circuit (3-D IC) packaging are presented in this paper. The first issue arises from the concern that intermetallics (IMCs) may occupy a large portion of the solder joint volume.

It will be demonstrated that this concern is real even for Ni under bump metallurgy (UBM) or surface finish, which reacts very slowly with solders. The second issue relates to impingement and ripening of IMC grains. When IMCs occupy a large portion of a joint, the IMC grains growing from the opposite sides of a joint will eventually touch each other. The morphology evolution from this point on determines the final microstructure of a joint. Structural defects might form as a result of the impingement and ripening of IMC grains. The third issue is the rise of impurity concentration due to solder consumption. Many of the impurities in solders, such as those from electroplating, are not soluble in IMCs. As Sn reacts to form IMCs, these impurities are rejected from IMCs into the remaining solder. Consequently, the concentrations of these impurities increase with the progress of reaction. Eventually, these impurities are trapped between IMCs growing from the opposite directions. The impact of these trapped impurities on the properties of solder joints is an important issue. The fourth issue is similar to the third except that the role of impurities is replaced by inert alloy elements of solders. The most obvious element is Ag. The fifth issue arises from the fact that, as the size of a joint becomes smaller, the surface-area-to- volume ratio increases. This makes the impact of thin-film layers on UBM and surface finish become ever higher. One well-known element is Au. The so-called Au embrittlement issue may become relevant again. The last issue is the volume shrinkage from chemical reactions. Internal stress or structure defects may form because of this shrinkage. Experimental evidence will be used in this paper to illustrate these six issues, and the implications of these issues will be discussed.

(This is inside components rather than on PCB's but still interesting perhaps? - Jeremy)

   
IEEE Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability
Volume 12, Issue 2, 2012, Article number 6135780, Pages 233-240
Critical concerns in soldering reactions arising from space confinement in 3-D IC packages

Chuang, H.Y., Yang, T.L., Kuo, M.S., Chen, Y.J., Yu, J.J., Li, C.C., Kao, C.R.  

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan

Lead-free solder joint void evolution during multiple subsequent high-temperature reflows

Scopus: Entrapment of volatiles during lead-free solder joint formation results in the creation of voids which may have a negative impact on the joint's mechanical and/or electrical performances. According to IPC-J-STD-001E and IPC-A-610E specifications, the post-surface-mount-technology cumulative voiding criterion in lead-free solder joints is less than 25% for a second-level interconnect. For solder joints that experience multiple high-temperature reflow processes after completion of assembly, however, it is important to understand and predict how these voids will interact and evolve during subsequent high-temperature exposures. In this paper, both in situ 2-D X-ray imaging and 3-D X-ray tomography were used to study the growth kinetics of solder joint voids during multiple reflow cycles. The results demonstrate that voids grow and move during each reflow cycle. The growth kinetics has been shown to follow a diffusion-controlled mechanism based on a model for out-gassing bubble growth in a supersaturated molten solder liquid


IEEE Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability
Volume 12, Issue 2, 2012, Article number 6175114, Pages 494-500
Lead-free solder joint void evolution during multiple subsequent high-temperature reflows

Li, Y. , Moore, J.S., Pathangey, B., Dias, R.C., Goyal, D. 

Intel Corporation, Chandler, AZ 85226, United States

Thermodynamic calculations and kinetic simulations of soldering/brazing systems and processes

Scopus: A new thermodynamic database for solder systems, TCSLD1, has been developed using the CALPHAD methodology, based on experimental and theoretical data. This new database contains all the important Au-/Ag-/Cu-/Sn-based solder alloy phases within a 16-element framework [Ag-Al-Au-Bi-Co-Cu-Ge-In-Ni-Pb-Pd-Pt-Sb-Si- Sn-Zn] and in total 150 phases (most of them as multicomponent alloy solutions and/or intermediate compound solutions, with the rest as intermediate stoichiometric compounds) are included. The database can be used with the Thermo-Calc software package and application programming interfaces for predicting various thermodynamic properties, stable/metastable phase equilibria and phase transformations of Au-/Ag-/Cu-/Sn-based solder systems (Pb-containing/ Pbfree), and for simulating the effects of non-equilibrium solidification and micro-segregation of various soldering/brazing processes. The results from these predictions can be applied to eliminate candidate solder alloys for which the calculations reveal unsuitable freezing temperature range from further testing, and thus to accelerate design of new solder alloys as well as to improve understanding of existing solder alloys in terms of their processing and in-service behavior. Future work is also planned to develop a mobility database to consider kinetic effects including diffusion and precipitation, coarsening kinetics.


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 315-318
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
Thermodynamic calculations and kinetic simulations of soldering/brazing systems and processes  ( Conference Paper )

Mason, P.a, Chen, Q.b, Engström, A.b, Shi, P.b, Bratberg, J.b, Markström, A.b, Liu, H.c, Jin, Z.c 

a  Thermo-Calc Software Inc, 4160 Washington Road, McMurray, PA 15317, United States
b  Thermo-Calc Software AB, Norra Stationsgatan 93, SE-113 64 Stockholm, Sweden
c  Central-South University, Changsha, Hunan, China

The effect of Cu content on performance of SnAgCuBiNi /Cu soldering

Scopus: In recent years, SnAgCu (SAC) lead-free solder is widely used to substitute for SnPb solder. However, there are still two issues to be solved urgently. One is that the price of mainstream SAC solder is much higher because of higher Ag content in the solder.

The other is that high-Ag lead-free solder appears more brittle and is susceptible to impact and vibration. This is difficult to meet the requirement of electronic product, especially in the field of mobile devices. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a low-Ag lead-free solder with low cost, excellent solderability and improved strength. In this paper, a new low-Ag lead-free SAC solder is shown. The effect of Cu content on the solderability and joint performance are investigated. The high-temperature storage (HTS) aging is conducted for accelerating failure. Shear strength test and shock test are used to evaluate the shear strength and shock resistance of solder joint. Interfacial IMC layer morphology and microstructure of joint are analyzed by SEM, Deep-etched. It is revealed that varying Cu content from 0 to 1.5%, do not nearly influence on the melting range and wettability of solder alloy. A little bit higher shear strength of joint appears only Cu content in bulk solder alloy is 0.5%. Polyhedron IMC grains appear in the interface after aging and fracture occurs in the IMC layer. As Cu content increases in solder alloys, the interface IMC layer is thinner and IMC grain size is bigger. On the other hand, the morphology of IMC in bulk solder varies from flaky to bar, the size and number of IMC increase with increasing Cu content. It is approved that Low-Ag SACBiNi/Cu shows better shock resistance than the SAC305/Cu soldering by shock test. 


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 228-232
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
The effect of Cu content on performance of SnAgCuBiNi /Cu soldering  ( Conference Paper )

Sun, F. , Liu, Y., Wang, Y., Zou, P. 

School of Materials Sci. and Eng., Harbin Uni. of Sci. and Tech., Harbin, China

NanoBond® assembly - A rapid, room temperature soldering process

Scopus: Indium Corporation of America has commercialized a new technology that will revolutionize how manufacturers join components using solder materials. (See Figure 1) The joining process is based on the use of reactive multilayer foils as local heat sources.

The foils are a new class of nano-engineered materials, in which self-propagating exothermic reactions can be ignited at room temperature through an ignition process. By inserting a multilayer foil between two solder layers and two components, heat generated by the reaction in the foil melts the solder and consequently bonds are completed at room temperature in air, argon or vacuum in approximately one second. The resulting metallic joints exhibit thermal conductivities two orders of magnitude higher, and thermal resistivity an order of magnitude lower, than current commercial TIMs (Thermal Interface Material). The use of reactive foils as a local heat source eliminates the need for torches, furnaces, or lasers, speeds the soldering processes, and dramatically reduces the total heat that is needed. Thus, temperature-sensitive or small components can be joined without thermal damage or excessive heating. In addition, mismatches in thermal contraction on cooling can be avoided because components see very small increases in temperature. This is particularly beneficial for joining metals to ceramics. The fabrication and characterization of the reactive foils is described, and the value proposition for NanoBonding is presented. This paper also shows the applicability of this platform technology to many areas of packaging including Thermal Interface Materials, microelectronics, optoelectronics, and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 32-37
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
NanoBond® assembly - A rapid, room temperature soldering process  ( Conference Paper )

Matteau, J.  

Indium Corporation of America, Utica, NY, United States

NanoBond and NanoFoil from Indium for room temperature soldering

Indium Corporation: NanoBond is RNT’s patented process for bonding components utilizing NanoFoil. Activated by a small pulse of energy, in a fraction of a second, NanoFoil delivers the necessary amount of heat and energy to reflow solder or braze and create a strong, true metallic joint. The process enables high strength, high conductivity bonds between most combinations of materials making it ideal for many joining and assembly operations.

RNT has developed and tailored its patented NanoBond process with each of its customers in mind. The multilayer foil is placed between two components to be bonded, along with two layers of solder, either pre-applied to the components or freestanding. Pressure is applied to prevent the components from moving, and the chemical reaction between the Al and Ni layers in the foil is activated. Heat from the NanoFoil’s reaction melts the solder or brazed layers and enables metallic bonding at room temperature in fractions (thousandths) of a second.

Morphologies and grain orientations of Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds in Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu/Cu solder joints

Scopus: Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) technology combined with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was employed to investigate morphologies and orientations of Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds formed between Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu lead-free solder alloy and copper substrate. After long-time soldering, two small planes with a break angle appear on top and side of Cu 6Sn 5 scallop, and the angle between the adjacent planes was approximately 120�. Round plate-type defects were found on the top side of Cu substrate. Preferable IMCs grain orientation was Cu 6Sn 5 (0001) //substrate surface, Cu 3Sn (1̄00) & (100) //substrate surface. Single crystal Cu-Sn IMCs preferable grain orientation was Cu 3Sn (100)// Cu 6Sn 5 (0001).


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 217-220
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
Morphologies and grain orientations of Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds in Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu/Cu solder joints  ( Conference Paper )

Tian, Y. , Liu, W., Hang, C., Wang, X., Liu, R., Wang, C. 

State Key Lab. of Advanced Joining and Welding, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China

Nanoindentation for measuring mechanical properties of Lanthanum-doped tin-silver-copper lead-free solders

Scopus: The elimination of lead from electronics due to its toxic nature and hazardous environmental effects is pushing the manufacturers towards the lead free solders for which Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) alloys are considered as the best substitute. These alloys still have coarse microstructure with soft tin matrix and hard Intermetallic Compounds (IMCs). Lanthanum is added for refining the microstructure and improving the mechanical properties of SAC solders. Nanoindentation is a useful technique to evaluate the mechanical properties at very small length scale. In this study, CSM nanoindentation setup is used to determine the Young's modulus and hardness of SAC and Lanthanum doped SAC alloys. Loadings from 100 μN to 1000 μN with 100 μN steps were applied and different dwell times from 10 seconds to 60 seconds were used to avoid the creep effects. The loading rates applied were twice that of loading. Average values for both Young's modulus and hardness were determined against indentation depth. Nanoindentation causes the pile-up effects in the soft β-tin phase and eutectic Sn phase which are determined and incorporated in the results. The new results are in a better agreement with the previous studies.


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 221-227
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
Nanoindentation for measuring mechanical properties of Lanthanum-doped tin-silver-copper lead-free solders  ( Conference Paper )

Sadiq, M.abc , Cherkaoui, M.abc, Lecomte, J.-S.d 

a  George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 801 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, United States
b  University of Paul Verlaine, LEM3 UMR CNRS 7239, île du Saulcy, Metz 57070, France
c  UMI 2958, Georgia Tech., CNRS Georgia Tech Lorraine, Metz 57070, France
d  ENSAM-Arts et Métiers ParisTech, LEM3 UMR CNRS 7239, 4 rue Augustin Fresnel, Metz 57078, France

Effect of isothermal aging on Sn-Ag-Cu solder joints on electroless Ni-P/Au plating by laser reflow soldering

Scopus: With the miniaturization of electronic productions and the use of heat sensitive electronic components, the traditional reflow soldering process often has difficulties. As an alternative soldering process, the laser reflow soldering has been recently proposed. To clarify joint properties of the joint soldered by the laser reflow soldering, we investigated the effect of isothermal aging on Sn-Ag-Cu solder joints on electroless Ni- P/Au plating by the laser reflow soldering. Especially, the microstructure at the interface between Sn-Ag-Cu solder and Ni-P/Au plating and joint properties of solder joints were studied


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 1-4
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
Effect of isothermal aging on Sn-Ag-Cu solder joints on electroless Ni-P/Au plating by laser reflow soldering  ( Conference Paper )

Nishikawa, H.a , Takemoto, T.a, Iwata, N.b 

a  Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
b  Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan

Wettability of a Cu-nanoparticle-reinforced solder matrix paste composite

Scopus: This paper summarizes a phenomenological preliminary study of nano-particle reinforced composite solder pastes' spreading over Cu substrates. The nano reinforcements included Cu and non-Cu particles. Solder matrix were lead and lead-free systems (including binder and flux). This report focuses in particular on Cu reinforced Sn-Pb materials and indicates some differences vs. lead-free systems. Wettability of the composite over Cu substrates was investigated using a realtime in-situ visualization of the triple line movement as well as the equilibrium contact angle measurements. It was established that the addition of Cu nanoparticles hampers spreading of the eutectic Sn-Pb solder paste and lowers the melting temperature of a nano- composite, but does not significantly change the spreading time, the final spread domain and the equilibrium contact angle, if the content of nano particles is less than 2.5 %. Further increase of nano - particles' content up to 5% indicates a decrease in the final spreading domain and increase in the equilibrium contact angle.


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 475-479
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
Wettability of a Cu-nanoparticle-reinforced solder matrix paste composite  ( Conference Paper )

Chen, M.a, Zhao, H.b, Liu, W.c, Sekulic, D.P.c 

a  Key Laboratory for Liquid-solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
b  Creative Thermal Solutions, Inc., Urbana-Champagne, IL 61802, United States
c  Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, United States

Interfacial reactions between lead free solder alloys and metallic substrates: Thermodynamics and kinetics

Scopus: Ternary alloys based on Sn-rich, Sn-Cu and Sn-Ag binary eutectics have attracted considerable attention as potential Pb-free solders. However, intermetallic layers formed at the interface between the solder and pads of a printed circuit board may adversely affect the reliability of solder joints due to excessive growth during storage and service. The inherent complexity of the substrate-solder systems and a large variety of possible reactions in these materials (their sequential and concurrent occurrence) makes it extremely difficult to develop a predictive model that describes quantitatively morphological evolution within the solder joints. This problem becomes more complex with the continuing trend towards increasing miniaturization of microchips.


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 213-216
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
Interfacial reactions between lead free solder alloys and metallic substrates: Thermodynamics and kinetics  ( Conference Paper )

Hodaj, F. 

SIMAP, CNRS UMR-5622, Grenoble Institute of Technology, Domaine Universitaire, 1130 rue de la piscine, 38402 Saint Martin d'Hères, France

Solder powders manufacture process by the wire explosion method

Scopus: Now that solder powders, which are key components of all the solder pastes, have been finer to meet the needs of the electronic industry, the wire explosion method to make solder powders smaller is being one of the ways to be in the spotlight. The wire explosion method is the powder making process using the wire form of solder. As the solder feeder moves the solder wire to the chamber full of argon gases, the wire evaporates in the electrical explosion. Then, it is solidified into the powder. The K factor, the wire feeder length, the speed, the voltage, the wire diameter are main variables in the process of making solder powders in this study. As a result of the study, 45% of the solder powders are in the range of type 6(5∼15um). Those are effectively accepted to be used after taking the tensile test, the hot zone test, the thermal shock test.


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 27-31
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
Solder powders manufacture process by the wire explosion method  ( Conference Paper )

Kim, S. , Kim, S.H.  

RIST, Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, 32 Hyoja-Dong, Pohang City, 790-330, South Korea

A composite solder alloy preform for high temperature Pb-free soldering applications

Scopus: High temperature Pb-free solder materials are needed in die attach, flip-chip packaging, power semiconductor and optical device packaging, etc. In this work, a special laminate composite preform has been developed for high temperature Pb-free soldering applications, where a melting temperature of 280 �C or higher is required. The laminate composite preform is composed of a high-melting, ductile metal core layer and a low-melting solder coating layer at both sides of the core layer. During soldering, the core metal and the liquid solder layer together with the substrate metals to be bonded react to form high-melting intermetallic compound phases (IMCs) to consume the low-melting solder phase rapidly. The resultant solder joint consists of a ductile core layer sandwiched by the IMCs layers at substrate sides, with a much higher remelt temperature than the melting temperature of the initial solder alloy coating. The laminate composite structure in the solder joint increases strengths and fracture toughness. The microstructures, mechanical properties and reliability of the solder joints formed by use of the SnAg/Ag/SnAg composite preform are investigated for high temperature Pb-free soldering applications. Effects of the process variables on the microstructure and defects formation in the solder joints are also discussed in the paper


IBSC 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference
2012, Pages 188-195
5th International Brazing and Soldering Conference, IBSC 2012;Las Vegas, NV;22 April 2012through25 April 2012;Code90195
A composite solder alloy preform for high temperature Pb-free soldering applications  ( Conference Paper )

Liu, W., Bachorik, P., Lee, N.-C.

Indium Corporation of America, Clinton, NY, United States

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: call for evidence

Open date: 28 May 2012

Closing date: 23 Jul 2012

Call for evidence to seek data from key stakeholders that can be used to assess the compliance costs to existing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) system.

Following the 2012 Budget, BIS committed to consult on preventing excessive compliance costs for business arising from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations.

This call for evidence aims to improve the evidence we have regarding compliance costs arising from the UK WEEE Regulations. It aims to help to inform our decisions about alternative policy proposals to reduce burdens on business whilst ensuring environmental objectives are achieved.

Following the closure of the call for evidence on the 23 July 2012, we will assess the results against the data that we already hold and use these to develop proposals. We will issue a formal consultation on these proposals early next year. This consultation will enable the proposals to be introduced alongside changes required to transpose the requirements of the recast EU WEEE Directive agreed in December 2011.

Section 7 of the below call for evidence document includes the call for evidence questions. Three pro-forma excel spreadsheets are also provided below for data collection intended for producers of electrical and electronic equipment, Producer Compliance Schemes, and WEEE treatment facilities



Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: call for evidence | Consultations | BIS:

'via Blog this'

SOLDER POWDER AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SOLDER POWDER

Espacenet: To obtain a solder powder having an average particle diameter of 0.05 [mu]m or more but less than 3 [mu]m. [Solution] A solder powder having an average particle diameter of, for example, 0.05 [mu]m or more but less than 3 [mu]m is obtained by using a process for solder powder production which comprises a step in which a solid or liquid metal, a nonaqueous solvent, and balls for pulverization which have a diameter of 0.05-5 mm are introduced into a vessel to obtain a mixture, a step in which the mixture is heated to 150 C or higher and stirred, a step in which the balls for pulverization are separated from the stirred mixture to obtain a mixture of a solder powder and the nonaqueous solvent, and a step in which the solder powder/nonaqueous-solvent mixture is subjected to solid/liquid separation to obtain the solder powder.

Page bookmark     WO2012066664  (A1)  -  SOLDER POWDER AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SOLDER POWDER
Inventor(s):     ISHIKAWA YUICHI [JP] +
Applicant(s):     DOWA HOLDINGS CO LTD [JP]; ISHIKAWA YUICHI [JP] +
Classification:    
- international:     B22F9/06
- european:    
Application number:     WO2010JP70562 20101118
Priority number(s):     WO2010JP70562 20101118 

SnAgCuBi lead-free patent for automotive

Espacenet: A Sn-Ag-Cu-Bi lead-free solder which can be used for soldering of vehicle-mounted electronic circuits and which has excellent resistance to heat cycles and mechanical strength is provided. The solder consists essentially of Ag: 2.8 - 4 mass %, Bi: 1.5 - 6 mass %, Cu: 0.8 - 1.2 mass %, and a remainder of Sn.

Page bookmark     KR20120027058  (A)  -  LEAD-FREE SOLDER FOR VEHICLE,AND IN-VEHICLE ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT
Inventor(s):     KAWAMATA YUJI [JP]; UESHIMA MINORU [JP]; TAMURA TOMU [JP]; MATSUSHITA KAZUHIRO [JP]; SAKAMOTO MASASHI [JP] +
Applicant(s):     SENJU METAL INDUSTRY CO [JP] +
Classification:    
- international:     B23K1/00; B23K35/26; C22C13/00; H05K3/34
- european:     B23K35/26B; C22C13/00; C22C13/02
Application number:     KR20127002274 20080714
Priority number(s):     JP20070184782 20070713
Also published as:    
EP2177304  (A1)   EP2177304  (A4)   US2010294565  (A1)   KR20100043228  (A)   WO2009011341  (A1)   more  

SnSbCuNiIn lead-free solder patent

Espacenet: The purpose of the present invention is to obtain a lead-free solder alloy with high connection reliability for power cycles in semiconductor devices that operate at high temperatures and a semiconductor device using the same. The composition for the lead-free solder alloy was optimized so as to contain 5 - 15% by mass antimony (Sb), 0.5 - 3% by mass copper (Cu) 0.01 - 0.15% by mass nickel (Ni), and 0.1 - 5% by mass indium (In), with the remainder being formed from tin (Sn) and inevitable impurities.

Page bookmark     WO2012077228  (A1)  -  LEAD-FREE SOLDER ALLOY, SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
Inventor(s):     YAMAZAKI KOJI [JP]; KUSUNOKI TAKU [JP]; YAMADA AKIRA [JP]; OHTSU KENJI [JP] +
Applicant(s):     MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP [JP]; YAMAZAKI KOJI [JP]; KUSUNOKI TAKU [JP]; YAMADA AKIRA [JP]; OHTSU KENJI [JP] +
Classification:    
- international:     B23K35/26; C22C13/02; H01L21/52
- european:    
Application number:     WO2010JP72234 20101210
Priority number(s):     WO2010JP72234 20101210 

Zn based lead-free solder patent from Sumitomo

Espacenet  Provided is a Zn-based, Pb-free solder alloy for use at high temperatures, the alloy having a melting point of 300-400 DEG C and excellent wetting properties, bonding properties, workability, and reliability. A Pb-free solder alloy having Zn as a main component, the alloy containing 1.0-9.0 mass % and preferably 3.0-7.0 mass % of Al, and containing 0.002-0.800 mass % and preferably 0.005-0.500 mass % of P; and the remainder comprising Zn, besides elements that are unavoidably included due to manufacture. The Pb-free solder alloy may also contain Mg and/or Ge at 0.3-4.0 mass % in the case of Mg and 0.3-3.0 mass % in the case of Ge.

Page bookmark     WO2012077415  (A1)  -  Pb-FREE SOLDER ALLOY HAVING Zn AS MAIN COMPONENT
Inventor(s):     ISEKI TAKASHI [JP] +
Applicant(s):     SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO [JP]; ISEKI TAKASHI [JP] +
Classification:    
- international:     B23K35/28; C22C18/00; C22C18/04; H05K3/34
- european:    
Application number:     WO2011JP74162 20111020
Priority number(s):     JP20100274134 20101208 

Soldering in Space - video

MAKE: The solder, heated, became a molten blob with a droplet of rosin clinging tight to the outside. Solder melts: that’s not too surprising. It’s the behavior of the rosin that amazed. As the temperature increased, the droplet began to spin, round and round, faster and faster, like a miniature carnival ride.

Video

Foundry Research Inst Poland SnZn alloy development

Factiva: Current study results on Alloys have been published. According to news reporting originating from Krakow, Poland, by VerticalNews correspondents, researchers stated "The research was undertaken to establish mechanical properties of as-cast and heat-treated Sn-Zn-based alloys of binary and ternary systems as candidates for lead (Pb)-free solder materials for high-temperature applications. The heat treatment of as-cast alloys was made under different combinations of processing parameters (168 h/50 A degrees C, 42 h/80 A degrees C, and 24 h/110 A degrees C)."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research by the authors from Research Institute, "The systematic study of structure-property relationships in Sn-Zn, Sn-Zn-Ag, and Sn-Zn-Cu alloys containing the same amount of Zn (4.5, 9, 13.5 wt.%) and 1 wt.% of either Ag or Cu was conducted to identify the effects of chemical composition and heat treatment processing parameters on the alloy microstructure and mechanical behavior. Structural characterization was made using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques coupled with EDS analysis. Mechanical properties (initial Young's modulus E, ultimate tensile strength UTS, elastic limit R (0.05), yield point R (0.2), elongation A (5), and necking Z) were determined by means of static tensile tests. All the examined Sn-Zn-based alloys have attractive combination of mechanical characteristics, especially tensile strength, having values higher than that of common leaded solders and their substitutes of Pb-free SAC family."

According to the news editors, the researchers concluded: "The results obtained demonstrate that the Sn-Zn-based alloys present competitive Pb-free solder candidates for high-temperature applications."

For more information on this research see: Relationship Between Mechanical Properties of Lead-Free Solders and Their Heat Treatment Parameters. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 2012;21(5):620-628. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance can be contacted at: Springer, 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013, USA. (Springer - www.springer.com; Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance - www.springerlink.com/content/1059-9495/)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting A. Klasik, Foundry Res Inst, Center High Temp Studies, PL-30418 Krakow, Poland.

Keywords for this news article include: Krakow, Poland, Europe, Alloys, Materials Engineering

Re-Tinning Components for High-Reliability Assembly

SMTONLINE: The third reason for re-tinning is mitigation of tin whiskers, something everyone seems rightfully concerned about these days, in the conversion to high tin content lead-free alloys. Even NASA has published papers that say, in effect, that the only reliable way to mitigate tin whiskers and prevent their growth is to dip the leads in molten alloy. This creates a fused intermetallic finish that is unlike the non-fused electroplated finishes, which are a lot like a coating of sand--not fused or connected and prone to tin whisker development under certain conditions.

Removing gold plating, replacing RoHS finishes with Pb, refurbishing legacy components and tin whisker mitigation are the major reasons to hot solder dip component leads. Re-tinning of through-hole and SMT/QFP components is a robust and reliable automated process whereby component leads (or terminations) can be refurbished in preparation for re-qualification to high-rel standards, and helps ensure that components will be processed in accordance with IPC/EIA JSTD-001 and ANSI-GEIA-STD-0006.

Alan Cable is president of A.C.E. Production Technologies. He can be reached at 509-924-4898 or acable@ace-protech.com.

Tamura's Solder Paste Slashes Silver Use, Offers Same Performance

Factiva: -Tamura Corp. (6768) has developed a solder paste for the electronics industry that contains less than one-third the normal amount of silver but retains the same performance as regular solder paste, including a similar temperature range for melting.

Because the new solder paste uses far less silver, the manufacturing costs are less sensitive to swings in the precious metal's price, meaning Tamura can supply the product at a set price over longer periods of time to customers.

Tamura has already begun shipping samples and plans to enter into volume production later this month, aiming for its use in attaching electronic components -- such as capacitors, microchips and resistors -- to the circuit boards of computers, cellular phones and other products.

Most of the solder pastes now used for this purpose are free of lead and instead use silver, tin and copper as their main components. But while these two latter metals cost only several hundred yen per kilogram, silver costs around 100,000 yen per kilogram, so fluctuations in the silver market can significantly impact solder paste prices.

Whereas typical solder paste has a 3% silver content, Tamura's new product contains at most 1%.

Reducing the silver this way normally boosts the melt temperature of the solder, requiring higher temperatures for soldering that can damage semiconductors and other components. But Tamura was able to solve this problem by developing an improved additive that contains no halogen compounds and yields a solder paste that melts in the range of 211-224 C, which is comparable to the 217-220 C range of regular solder paste.

The company targets annual sales of 600 million yen after three years for the new solder paste.

(The Nikkei Business Daily, June 14 edition)

Microstructure, mechanical, and thermal properties of the Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu solder alloy bearing Fe for electronics applications

Microstructure, mechanical, and thermal properties of the Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu solder alloy bearing Fe for electronics applications: Author(s): Shnawah, D.A.A. , Said, S.B.M. , Sabri, M.F.M. , Badruddin, I.A. , Che, F.X.
Publication year: 2012
Journal / Book title: Materials Science and Engineering A

This work investigates the effect of Fe addition on the microstructural, mechanical, and thermal properties of the Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu (SAC105) solder alloy. The addition of Fe leads to the formation of large circular FeSn ₂ intermetallic compound (IMC) particles, which produce a weak interface with the β-Sn matrix. The addition of Fe also leads to the inclusion of Fe in the Ag ₃Sn and Cu ₆Sn ₅ IMC particles. Moreover, Fe-bearing solders have been shown to form large primary β-Sn grains. The weak interface between the large FeSn ₂ IMC particles and the β-Sn matrix together with the presence of the large primary β-Sn grains results in a significant reduction on the elastic modulus and yield strength of the Fe-bearing solders. Moreover, the improved plasticity of the large primary β-Sn grains causes the Fe-bearing solders to exhibit large total elongation. The addition of Fe also significantly reduces the effect of aging. After aging at 100°C and 180°C, it has been observed that the Fe-bearing solders significantly suppress the coarsening of the Ag ₃Sn IMC particles; consequently, they exhibit stable mechanical properties. This effect can be attributed to the inclusion of Fe in the Ag ₃Sn IMC particles. In addition, fracture surface analysis indicates that the addition of Fe to the SAC105 solder alloy does not affect the mode of fracture, and all tested solders exhibited large ductile-dimples on the fracture surface. Moreover, the addition of Fe did not produce any significant effect on the melting behavior. As a result, the use conditions of the Fe-bearing solders are consistent with the conditions for conventional Sn-Ag-Cu solder alloys.

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Stencil Design Guidelines have been updated with new materials.

Stencil Design Guidelines have been updated with new materials.: To help designers and board assemblers address challenges of working with new materials and smaller, finer-pitch components, IPC-7525B provides guidelines for design and fabrication of stencils for solder paste and SMT adhesive with discussion on through-hole and mixed technology. This updated standard includes differences for tin-lead and lead-free solder paste, overprint, 2-print, and step stencil designs. Example order form and inspection checklist are also included. 

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Soldering equipment concern sees big uptick in sales

Spokane Journal of Business: As the domestic aerospace-manufacturing sector continues to grow, Spokane Valley-based soldering equipment maker RPS Automation LLC is seeing its sales shoot upward and is attributing much of that increase to aerospace-related fabrication.

RPS Automation, based in a 16,000-square-foot warehouse at 3808 N. Sullivan in the Spokane Business & Industrial Park, makes a line of machines used to solder components onto electronic circuit boards.

Origin and evolution of voids in electroless Ni during soldering reaction

Interfacial voids in Ni₂SnP have been found to be responsible for many types of failure in electronic solder joints and this paper studied them by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.  Studies using reflowed SAC305 confirmed that the voids in Ni₂SnP were more fragile and responsible for most of the interfacial cracks. 

ScienceDirect.com - Acta Materialia - Origin and evolution of voids in electroless Ni during soldering reaction:

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The Worldwide Electronics Manufacturing Services Market Report (2012)

by New Venture Research Corp.

The most comprehensive study available on the global EMS market

For further information, please download the brochure and / or contact frank.klomp@alerta-intelligence.com
The worldwide electronics manufacturing services (EMS) market continued to expand at a very healthy rate of nearly 13 percent in 2011. This was after an explosion of growth in 2010 of approximately 37 percent. The EMS market doesn’t show any signs of slowing down and growth over the next five years will continue in the double digits.

New Venture Research (NVR) has followed this industry for over 20 years and is pleased to offer - The Worldwide Electronics Manufacturing Services Market, 2012 Edition—the most comprehensive market research report on the EMS industry. This report focuses on the leading players, market segments, total available market (TAM), and emerging manufacturing opportunities going forward.

The report begins with a forecast of the worldwide electronics assembly market in terms of cost of goods sold, thus providing a baseline for the manufacturing value of electronics products. This forecast is developed by looking at 45 individual product segments in the automotive, communications, computer/peripherals, consumer, industrial, medical, and aerospace and defense industries. NVR estimates that total electronics assembly value was $1.1 trillion in 2011 and will grow to approximately $1.5 trillion in 2016–a 6.8 percent compounded annual growth rate. Fueled by this huge market, NVR believes that the EMS industry will grow from $413 billion in 2011 to $654 billion in 2016.

To support this conclusion, the report analyzes the EMS industry in a variety of ways. First, the report reviews the total market for EMS and OEM electronics assembly by
industry and product. Second, the report analyzes the EMS industry, including a breakdown of the market leaders and relative share by industry and region. Third, the market opportunity for emerging growth is presented by product and country. The most promising product manufacturing opportunities are analyzed and forecasted.

All of these products and markets are summarized from 2011–2016 in terms of EMS revenue, TAM revenue, and regional trends by country and cost. No other report gives such detail by country and product opportunity. This database is also sold in Excel format to allow for easy internal analysis of the critical data.

The report includes an EMS financial performance analysis and examines a variety of critical financial metrics for the best-performing companies. A chapter also details EMS mergers and acquisitions for the past few years and the impact on their growth of the industry.

The report concludes with profiles of selected EMS and ODM firms (94 companies) from all over the world. These reviews summarize the market focus of each company, its leading customers, and each company's financial performance statistics. The intent of these profiles is to serve as a global directory and competitive analysis tool.

The Worldwide Electronics Manufacturing Services Market, 2012 Edition is the product of thousands of hours of research. The report sells for $3495, with extra single-user licenses at $250 (contact us concerning corporate licensing). This report is only available in PDF format and is delivered by email. With the purchase of the report, an Excel spreadsheet of all data and tables may also be obtained for an additional $750.
http://www.alerta-intelligence.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103151:available-now-the-worldwide-electronics-manufacturing-services-market-report-2012&catid=51&Itemid=289


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Supply Chain Support for Medical Products | iNEMI Telecons

Upcoming Telecons
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. EDT

iNEMI is beginning the planning process for an initiative on supply chain support for medical electronics. The objective of this planning process is to explore areas for industry collaboration that will lead to a Statement of Work (SOW) describing the scope, objectives and resources required for an industry-led project. The final SOW will be dependent on the contributions and interests of the initiative team. Possible areas for collaboration identified by iNEMI workshops and other meetings are:

1.      Create widely available information on component and supplier capabilities

a.    Clarity of supplier/OEM business models that support:

i.      NPI for innovative new products

ii.      Change control and product requalification

iii.      Requirements for long-life products

2.       Clarity of OEM/supplier operating agreements (e.g., best known methods templates)

a.       Liability indemnification (separate for each of the 3 sub-segments)

b.       Standardized qualification of suppliers (separate for each of the 3 sub-segments)

3.  Development of data declaration standards for medical – electronically transferrable (iNEMI provides the base and submits to a standard organization)

4.       Consider looking at combined needs of military and medical

5.       For rare earth metals and scarce/threatened plastics – clarify the medical market priorities and create an action plan:

a.        Needs to be an ongoing effort as the priorities will continually evolve/change

6.       Need to stimulate supply base for medical (components, materials, etc.)

Project Meetings
Allen Mayar (Kemet) and Eddie Suckow (Fairchild Semiconductor) have agreed to co-chair the discussions for this project formation team. The first open meeting was held on December 15, 2011.

Follow-up calls will be held on a regular basis until the Statement of Work (SOW) has been completed.

The iNEMI process of defining a SOW (project plan) is open to all interested parties; iNEMI membership is not required.  We look forward to working with you on the development of the SOW and hope you will continue to be involved in the planning process.

An email invitation will be sent to individuals who have already expressed a direct interest in participating in the project formation discussions. If you don’t receive an invitation and are interested in being added to the distribution list, please contact Jim Arnold.

Further Information
Jim Arnold
jim.arnold@inemi.org
+1 480-854-0906
http://www.inemi.org/node/2280

Draft Version of New China RoHS Published - Measures for Administration of the Pollution Control of Electronic and Electrical Products

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has published draft Measures for Administration of the Pollution Control of Electronic and Electrical Products (known as new China RoHS) for public consultations. The deadline for comment is 10 July 2012. The old measures issued in 2006 will be revoked once the new measures enter into force.

New China RoHS also restricts the use of certain hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium and flame retardants such as polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in electrical and electronic equipments and their packaging materials. However, there are a few changes(for example, change of product scope, new labeling requirement and flexible certification mechanism) in the new China RoHS that companies might need to know before placing electronic and electrical products on the Chinese market.

Change of Product Scope

Old China RoHS regulates electronic information products which are referred to as electronic radar products, electronic communication products, broadcast and television products, computer products, household electronic products, electronic measurement instrument products, security products for electron, electronic component products, electronic application products, electronic material products, and other relative products and their accessory parts.

Products affected by new China RoHS include electrical and electronic equipments which are designed for use with a voltage rating not exceeding 1000 Volt for alternating current and 1500 Volt for direct current(similar to EU RoHS) and its accessory parts.  Many home appliances (Washing machines, refrigerators) that fall out of the scope of old China RoHS will now be regulated by new China RoHS.

New Labeling Requirement

New China RoHS requires that manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic products provide information about the impact of a product on environment and human health when the product is misused or disposed of in addition to the name and concentration of hazardous substances, the name of parts that contain hazardous substances, and whether a part or product can be recycled.

Flexible Certification Mechanism

Under the old China RoHS, products listed in the Key Administrative Catalog for the Pollution Control of Electronic Information Products (“Catalog”) will need to be tested by one of the approved labs in China and obtain CCC accreditation (China Compulsory Certification).

Under the new China RoHS, the Catalog will be renamed as Target Administrative Catalog for the Pollution Control of Electrical and Electronic Products. Various government bodies will set a timeline to prohibit the use of certain hazardous chemicals for the products listed in the Catalog. In the future, various certification mechanisms might be available. It is possible for companies to issue a self-declaration or ask independent third party to carry out the certification.

Reference

http://zfs.miit.gov.cn/n11293472/n11294912/n11296182/14644981.html

http://www.cirs-reach.com/news/Draft_Version_of_New_China_RoHS_Published.html